The comparison between Antinous and a black-hearted hound is not an epic simile; it is a regular old metaphor. Epic similes should be much more detailed than this, and they also typically extend over many lines of text. Further, an epic simile will compare two unalike things using the word like or as, which is the other characteristic of a simile. The comparison of Antinous to a dog is very short and lacks detail, and it...
The comparison between Antinous and a black-hearted hound is not an epic simile; it is a regular old metaphor. Epic similes should be much more detailed than this, and they also typically extend over many lines of text. Further, an epic simile will compare two unalike things using the word like or as, which is the other characteristic of a simile. The comparison of Antinous to a dog is very short and lacks detail, and it also does not make use of the word like or as.
Consider the following epic simile about Odysseus when he is clinging to a rock in the ocean during one of Poseidon's storms:
"And just as, when a polyp is torn from out its bed, about its suckers clustering pebbles cling, so on the rocks pieces of skin were stripped from his strong hands."
Note the level of detail here -- Odysseus isn't just a polyp clinging to a rock. He is like a polyp torn out of its bed, with small rocks all stuck to it from how hard it was clinging. This epic simile has a lot of detail, takes place over several lines, and uses the word "as" to make its comparison.
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